Happy New Year, Marketers! Don't miss these seven major marketing trends of 2014, and learn what you can do right now to prepare for your best marketing year ever.

1. The 7 Major
Marketing Trends of

2. Happy New Year,
Marketers!

3. Cheers! By all accounts, 2013 was a very good year for digital marketing.
From short-form video to mobile everything, savvy marketers have more
opportunities than ever to win the hearts of consumers…

4. …but just wait! The
best is yet to come.

5. 2014 promises even more exciting new trends and technologies to help
marketers delight, inspire, and awe their audiences and look like rockstars
to their bosses.
Get ready, because there’s a lot to look forward to!

6. To help you gain a
head start in the new
year, here seven major
marketing trends you
can’t afford to ignore.

7. 1. The Second Screen
Fact: A full 88 percent of consumers use their mobile phones while
watching television*, and savvy marketers are already designing campaigns
with this second screen in mind.
*source: http://www.businessinsider.com/a-majority-uses-mobile-as-second-screen-2013-5

8. 1. The Second Screen
Prediction: As new technologies make it easier to synchronize television
ads with social media ads, 2014 will be the year the second screen comes
into its own.

9. Takeaways for
2014
Now that consumers are likely seeing
multiple ads on multiple devices at the
same time, it’s more important than
ever to tell an integrated story across all
your advertising channels.
If you have the budget, leverage
technology that helps you synchronize
TV commercials with social ads.
Shameless plug: we can help with that.
Email us at info@brandnetworksinc.com
to learn more.

10. 2. All Hail the Image
Fact: 2013 was the year of the image. Between Facebook’s redesigned
News Feed ads and the emergence of Instagram and Pinterest ads, it’s clear
that highly visual content is driving the future of digital advertising.

11. 2. All Hail the Image
Prediction: 2014 will be the year images take center stage in social
advertising. Facebook's new image specs allow for large, high-res images,
while Twitter's move to add images to the feed shows that they won’t be
left behind. The first ads on Instagram point to yet another highly engaged
audience that marketers will soon be able to tap at scale.

12. Takeaways for
2014
Images matter! Use eye-catching, high
resolution images for both organic and
paid posts across Facebook, Twitter,
Pinterest, and all your social advertising
channels.
This will lead to higher engagement,
more clickthroughs, and better
response rates across all your social
channels.

13. 3. Video Is the New King
Fact: The number of online video watchers is expected to double to 1.5
billion by 2016, yet just 24 percent of national brands are using video to
market to consumers.*
*source: http://digiday.com/brands/celtra-15-must-know-stats-for-online-video/

14. 3. Video Is the New King
Prediction: With Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram all making serious
investments in video, especially short-form, it’s safe to say that 2014 will be
a watershed year for online video advertising.

15. Takeaways for
2014
Short-form video ads only last a few
seconds, so don’t try to do too much
with one video. Consider a series of
video ads around the same theme, and
make sure they’re well-integrated into
your broader marketing story.
Create video ads that dazzle your
customers and wow your bosses- email
us at info@brandnetworksinc.com.

16. 4. The Rise of the Feed
Fact: Social media now accounts for the majority of time spent on the
internet, with 60 percent of that time being spent on mobile devices.* The
primary format for engaging on these social networks? The news feed.
source: http://www.businessinsider.com/social-media-engagement-statistics-2013-12

17. 4. The Rise of the Feed
Prediction: The culture of personalization will only grow in 2014, making
relevant content and precise targeting more important than ever, and not
just on Facebook. We can already see this trend taking hold across the
board on social networks, in personalized search engines, on hyperrelevant e-commerce sites, and even traditional news media.

18. Takeaways for
2014
It’s simple – to succeed in the era of
personalization, you must know your
customer. Demographic information
alone won’t cut it. Analyze customer
data and buying behavior to understand
what’s important to your customers.
Use retargeting, email, and marketing
automation to deliver relevant offers at
exactly the right time.

19. 5. Small Data Is the New Big Data
Fact: Unlike big data, small data is timely, meaningful, and actionable
without a lot of in-depth analysis. It’s comprised of all the bits of
information that consumers send out both online and offline, such as
search traffic, shopping habits, and social media interactions.*
Source: http://www.zdnet.com/10-reasons-2014-will-be-the-year-of-small-data-7000023667/

20. 5. Small Data Is the New Big Data
Prediction: In 2014, new technologies will allow marketers to leverage and
act on this small data in real-time. You’ll be able to micro-target campaigns
that are relevant, responsive, and interesting on a dime. Think
personalization on steroids.

21. Takeaways for
2014
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the
possibilities to collect small data. So
start, well, small. Remember that small
data doesn’t necessarily mean new
data. It means finding opportunities to
take action on signals that your
customers are already sending.
Retargeting website visitors is an easy
example. Purchase history is another.
When you’re ready to play bigger, drop
us a line at info@brandnetworksinc.com
– we have technology that can help.

22. 6. Go Hyperlocal or Go Home
Fact: Small businesses have relied on hyperlocal for years to pull in traffic
and consumer dollars. But with Facebook* and Twitter** both stepping into
the game, larger companies are starting to pay attention, too.
*source: http://searchengineland.com/facebook-nearby-is-now-facebook-local-search-154507
**source: http://www.cmswire.com/cms/customer-experience/twitter-nearby-could-create-new-options-for-localadvertisers-023489.php

23. 6. Go Hyperlocal or Go Home
Prediction: The ability to run hyperlocal campaigns on Facebook and
Twitter will create major opportunities for brands in 2014 – especially for
retail, consumer packaged goods, and travel. In particular, the marriage of
hyperlocal with small data and mobile will add another layer of
personalization to advertising.

24. Takeaways for
2014
As with small data, hyperlocal is really
about finding opportunities to take
action on data that already exists.
Focus your advertising strategy around
data points that are specific to each
region you operate in, such as local
buying behavior, sports teams, events,
breaking news, even the weather.

25. 7. Mobile Still Matters
Fact: By the end of 2013, the number of mobile broadband connections
worldwide is expected to hit 2.1 billion, nearly three times the total of fixedline subscriptions.*
source: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/26/developing-countries-surge-in-mobile-broadband-u-n-finds/?_r=1

26. 7. Mobile Still Matters
Prediction: Okay, okay. This probably isn’t the first time you’ve seen mobile
on a social trends list. But mobile is now set to amplify all of the trends listed
above in big ways. Count on Facebook, Twitter and other major social
players to hone in on the power of mobile to spread their messages far and
wide in 2014.

27. Takeaways for
2014
Mobile isn’t a separate strategy
anymore. As you’re planning your goals
and campaigns for 2014, make sure to
integrate the mobile user’s experience
into everything you do, from responsive
design to images that look great on
small screens.
We can help you create an awesome
mobile experience for your customers.
Email us at info@brandnetworksinc.com
to learn more.

28. Next Steps
Are you ready to capitalize on the
biggest marketing trends of the year?
Download our 2014 Marketing
Checklist to make sure your
campaigns don’t miss a beat!

29. Want to talk more social marketing?
Let’s chat! Email info@brandnetworksinc.com
to learn how we can help you kick your
marketing campaigns into high gear in 2014.

30. From all of us at Brand Networks,
Happy New
Year!!